Happy Easter 2021

Easter is a time for reflection, hope,  and new beginnings. Hope you had a joyful Easter weekend with lots of chocolates and Easter eggs.

We have always looked forward to Easter as it is a long four day weekend in the U.K. For us, it is a time to recharge after a long winter slog. Before Lady Yeya was born, we always travelled over Easter. Some years, it was a weekend jaunt in Europe, whilst other years, it was a long-haul trip to South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam or California.

Spring is in the Air

This is our second Easter under lockdown. And that means no travel in the U.K. or abroad. Unlike last year where we basked in unseasonably warm spring sunshine, this year the weather was mixed. 

Leading up to Good Friday, the weather was glorious with blue skies and the mercury touching above 23C. Rejoice — spring is finally here! Taking advantage of the beautiful weather and easing of lockdown restrictions, we had impromptu garden playdates, outing Peckham Rye, picnics in the park, and alfresco dining. Feeling optimistic, Kenz even put an order for a new Calor gas tank hoping to fire up the beloved BroilKing grill. But, in true British fashion, the glorious weather lasted all but three days. Back to the typical British weather: 50 shades of grey and cold. 

Making Easter Family Memories

Now that Lady Yeya is three, she is more aware about holidays, birthdays, and traditions such as Diwali, Pancake Day, and Lunar New Year. I wasn’t going to let the weather derail my Easter plans. Indeed, I was determined to make some nice family memories. 

As such, I organised an Easter Egg Hunt for Lady Yeya and her little friends in the “secret garden” of a local church. This “secret garden” is a little sanctuary enjoyed by local residents for a bit of peace and solitude during this challenging year. Maintained by a group of keen gardeners, there’s always a lovely bed of flowers and seasonal vegetables in the raised garden beds. The kiddos loved hunting for Easter eggs filled with an assortment of small toys and of course, Easter chocolate. Lucky for us, the sky opened up with some sunshine albeit chilly. We enjoyed some Prosecco and homemade cakes in the park after a fun Easter Egg Hunt. 

On Easter Sunday, we put together an Easter basket for Lady Yeya filled with her favourite bunnies including Peter Rabbit and lots of chocolates from the classic creme egg to Lindt milk chocolate. Her favourite item in the Easter basket? A wild boar to join her growing Schliech collection, which she affectionately named “Pua” after the Disney movie Moana. 

American Style Easter Lunch: Ham

Of course, the main event of any holiday is sharing a meal with family. Lamb is widely served for Easter and Passover, but growing up as an American, we eat ham on Easter. Why? Well, it’s for practical reasons since pigs were butchered in the fall, then cured over winter and would then be ready to eat by the spring. So in America, we eat ham for Easter, turkey for Thanksgiving, and beef for Christmas. In true American fashion, I made a Cola Ham, thanks to Nigella’s recipe with maple-glazed sweet potato with bacon and sauteed green beans. To round out the meal, it was a classic carrot cake. A truly American-style Easter lunch. 

Hope you had the most joyful Easter weekend. To brighter days ahead!